1956 Plymouth Belvedere

The Belvedere name was originally used by Chrysler on the two-door hardtop version of the Cranbrook, becoming a separate model in 1954 on the Plymouth marque, positioned above the existing Plaza and Savoy lines and available in hardtop, sedan, convertible, and station wagon body styles. Chrysler Australia used the Belvedere name, with sheet metal based on the 1953 and 1954 American Plymouths but with several unique Australian details, most notably the grille.

New Virgil Exner's 'Forward Look' styling adorned the 1955 Chrysler and Plymouth models, with the Belvedere continuing to be the top-of-the-line model. Push-button automatic transmissions appeared in 1956, the first application on an American automobile, along with more dramatic rear-end treatment capped by a pair of rakish tail fins. A new four-door hardtop Sport Sedan joined the sedan, club sedan, sport coupe, convertible, and a Sport Wagon in the Suburban series. The Fury Sport Coupe joined the Belvedere line early in 1956 as a special-edition high-performance coupe.

The Belvedere nameplates were positioned on the front doors and 'Forward Look' medallion on the rear fenders. Interior features included a clock, armrests, Deluxe steering wheel, and a higher level of interior trappings. Distinguishable exterior features included 'Sport Tone' side trim, chrome back-up lamp housings, bright metal moldings on the windshield, rear window, headlights, and taillights.

Plymouth Belvedere models came standard with an inline 230.2 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine delivering 125 horsepower at 3,600 RPM. An optional 268.8 cubic-inch V8 with hydraulic valve lifters, five main bearings, and a Carter two-barrel carburetor delivered 180 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. The Fury came with a 303 CID V8 with 240 horsepower.

Among the long list of optional equipment included bumper guards, white sidewall tires, padded dashboard, power seat, power windows, power steering, power brakes, Positive traction rear axle, air conditioning, and Solex tinted glass. A three-speed manual transmission was standard, and overdrive and automatic were optional.

The Belvedere sedan body style was the most popular with 84,218 examples produced. 24,723 examples were the two-door sport coupe, 19,057 were club sedans, 17,515 were four-door sport sedans, and 6,735 were convertibles. Just 4,485 were the exclusive Fury Sport Coupe, priced at $2,800. Belvedere pricing ranged from $2,050 for the sedan and rose to $2,480 for the convertible. The Sport Suburban was priced at $2,430. The V8 added approximated $100 to the base price, except for the convertible which was only available with the V8 engine.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2020